Is Oakland More Pro-Marijuana Than Los Angeles, Capital Of The 'Pot Shop?'

While our much more liberal neighbors up in Oakland have embraced industrial-size marijuana growing operations, Los Angeles medical marijuana dispensaries have been bombarded with city ordinances and regulations, at least according to one blog's point of view.

According to CNBC and the Marijuana Lawyer Blog, there is a big difference between how the two cities deal with medical marijuana.

"Northern California's mood contrasts sharply to the mood in Southern California, as local governments throughout the Los Angeles area move to force legal medical marijuana dispensaries out of business," the Marijuana Lawyer Blog states.

In the past year, Los Angeles officials have outlawed 439 marijuana dispensaries and have issued regulations that bar collectives from operating 1000-feet away from "sensitive areas" such as schools, libraries, and parks.

Oakland, on the other hand, has been dubbed a "Silicon Valley of cannabis." The council in Oakland has recently approved the creation of four medical marijuana farms inside city limits.

"I think that's probably attributable to the different kinds of people in different kinds of environments," Ross Erlich, a criminal defense attorney in Los Angeles told the Weekly. "Both towns are diverse. LA is a fairly liberal place but less so than Northern California, particularly the bay area."